Island



(No Model.)

V 1). & P. D. ALMY, AUTOMATIC FEED WATER REGULATOR POR STEAM BOITIERS.

| l l I l l "INLZENZ'EE A 5I fk 2S @Q75 @j /7 l/ LIwLl Patented Apr. 28, V1896.

AN DREW BLRANANL PHUTDUTHO.WASH|NGTON. D C

UNITE-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DARIVIN ALIWIY AND FRANK DELANO ALMY, A0F PROYIDNCE, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC FEED-WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM-BOILRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.` 559,157, dated April 28, 1896.

l Application filed November 1l, 1895. Serial No. 568,574. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that we, DARWIN ALMY and FRANK DnLANo ALMY, of the city of Providence, county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Feed- Vater Regulators for Steam-Boilers 5 and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the class of automatic feed-water regulators for steam-boilers in which the expansion of a tube operates the feed-water valve and regulates the water supply of the steam-generator.

The invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of the regulator, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.Y

. Automatic feed-Water regulators for steamboilers, particularly when the same are used on water-tube steam-generators in which a comparatively small quantity of water is subjected in a series of tubes to the heat of the fire, must act promptly to regulate the water supply, and, above all things, such a regulator must be reliable. As heretofore constructed such regulators couldnot be relied upon for their permanent prompt action. The tube, which receives alternately the steam and the water in cooling, was liable to produce a partial vacuum in the upper end of the tube and thereby allow the water to enter 'the tube, while when the change from steam to water followed quickly the steam still in the tube prevented the entrance of the water. To overcome these defects and to secure the prompt action of the regulator is the object of this invention, and to this end we provide the upper end of the expansible tube With a check-valve and operate the same, as is more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a side view of our improved feed- ,p water regulator, showing the same connected with the water-column of the boiler and the valve of the feed-water pipe. Fig. 2 is a seccheck valve connected In the drawings, 3 indicates the plate which forms part of the steam-boiler near the waterline; 4,` the usual vertical water-column, connected at its upper end with the steam-space and at its lower end with the water of the boiler. This column 4 is provided with the usual gage-cocks on one side'and usually with a glass gage on the other side. (Not seen in the drawings.)

The gage-cock 5 is above the normal Waterline, the` gage-cock 5 on the normal waterline, and the gage-cock 52 below the normal water-line.

`The valve-fitting 6 is connected with the column 4 on the normal water-line. It is provided with the valve 7 and is connected with the base 8, in which the expansible tube 9 is secured at its lower open end. The tube 9 is held against rotation by the clamp-ring 10, one end of which issecured to a stud projecting from the base 8.

Two rods 11, one` on each side of the expansible tube 9, are secured at their flower ends to the base 8. The base 8 is vertically adjustable by means substantially like the means shown and described in Patent No.

`538,402, of April 30, 1895, granted to us for 1 the rod 14 is pivotally connected. The spring `15 surrounds the rod 14 and bears against a nut at the end of the rod and the lever 16. The lug17 extends upward from the cylindrical end piece 12 and forms the pivotal support for the lever 16. The piece 12 is also provided with a tapped hole into which the lateral branch of the valve-casing 18` is secured. Vithin this casing a valve-seat is formed on which is supported the check-valve 19, provided with a long downward-extending stem. The spring 2O bears on the checkvalve 19 to hold it to its seat, and the tension of the spring is adjusted by the screw-plug 21. Below the check-valve 19 is the lateral outlet 22, which may be connected with a pipe, as indicated in Fig. 2: The lower end of the valve-casing 18 is provided with the stufiingbox 23, through which the upper part of the rod 24 passes. The lower end of the rod 24 IOO is adj ustably secured in the internally-screwthreaded sleeve .25. The lower end ofthe sleeve is pivoted on the end of the lever 26, which lever is pivotally secured to the clamppiece 27, supported on the tube 9 and rods 11. The longer end of the lever 26 is provided with the raised cam 28 and the lever 16at this point with a pin 29, which, when it passes over the cam 28, depresses the longer end of the lever 26 and causes the upper end of the rod 24 to raise the check-valve 19.

To the upper end of the expansible tube 9 the cylindrical screen-tube 12 of a 'finelywoven wire-cloth is secured, so as to prevent any impurities from passing into the valvecase 19.

The upper ends of the rods 11 are pivotally connected with the lever 16, so that when the tube 9 isexpanding in length by the heat of the steam in the tube the fulcrum of the llever 16 in the lug 17 is raised, while the short end ofthe lever 16 is held by the rods 11 against rising, and the lower end of the lever 16 is moved outward, as is shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. The lower end of the lever 16 is provided with a pin whichextends into and rides in the fork 30' of the lever 30, one end of which is pivotally secured to the base 8, the other end of the lever30 being connected by means of the adjustable rod 31 to the lever ofthe valve 32, controlling the feedwater supply through the pipe 33 to the boiler.

34 isa check-valve.

In the device shown in Patent N o. 538,402, above referred to,fa constant but limited supply of feed-water is delivered directly to the lower part of the feed-regulator. In the present device weconnect the feed-water pipe 33, Iby the `small `pipe 35, with the bottom of the vertical column 4 and control the constant supply by means of thevalve 36.

The operation of the two methods is praetically the same. The constant supply of the cold or 'at least cooler water insures the prompt contraction of the expansible tube and thereby the quick regulation of the water supply.

AIn the improved construction shown in the drawings the water in the column 4 is maintainedat a low temperature by the constant supply through the pipe 35, and although the column is connected with the water and the steam-spaces of the boiler there is no circulation of water through the column.

Ve will now more fully-describe the operaunder sufficient pressure to pass through the The water in the i check-valve into the boiler. boiler isat or slightly above the gage-coek'.

Theconstant feed-water supply through thel pipe 35 is in practice no more than would be evaporated in the boiler when doing` the least amount of work. When now the water is evaporated faster than it is supplied, the water-line in the boiler sinks, and with it the surface of the water in the column 4. As soon as the surface ofthe water sinks below the opening of the connection between the column 4 and the valve-casing 6, the steam enters the regulator, the tube 9 commences to expand and move the lever 16 outward, the pin 29 in passing over the cam 28 depresses the long end of the lever 26 and raises the rod 24 sufficiently to lift the check-valve 19 off its seat, the air or gases in the tube 9 are quickly discharged, the pressure in the tube 9 is diminished, and the hot steam fills the tube, causing the same to expand lengthwise and move the lever 16 outward. The lower end of the lever 16 operates the lever 30 and through the same opens the valve 32. The water is now supplied to the boiler direct and in larger quantities. XVhen now more water is supplied than is evaporated bythe boiler, the water-level rises above the opening connecting the -column 4 with the regulator, the water enters the eXpansible tube, cools the same, condenses the steam in the tube partially, the lever 16 moves inward by the partial contraction yof .the tube 9, the pin 29 passes over the cam'2`8 and depresses'the lever26, thereby operating the check-valve 19, as before described, the confined steam in the tube escapes, the pressure in the tube is diminished, and the cool water rushes into the expansible tube 9. The tube is cooled, contracts, and the lever 16 with its connections completes the closing of the valve 32. The reliable closing of the check-valve 19 requires that the same can be frequently inspected. This is done by ICO closing the valve '7 and iin-screwing the screwblock 21.

The feed-water regulator instead of y'con-- trolling the water-valve 32a-can be used to control the steam-valve connected with the feedwaterpump.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an automatic feed-water regulator adapted to control the main feed-water supply, the column 4 connected'with the steam' 4connected with the Iupper end of vthe eXpan- `sible tube, provided with a valve, mechanism operated bythe eXpansible tube vto control the water supply, and mechanism,'substantially as described, for operating the valve, whereby the .internal pressure in the eXpan- IIO IZO

the combination with the expansible tube 9 and the cylindrical end piece 12, of the screentube 12, the valve-case 18 connected with the end piece 12, the valve 19, the spring" 20, the plug 21, the stufngbox 23, the lateral outlet 22, and the mechanism for automatically opening the valve and thereby relieving the pressure in the eXpansible tube, as described.

5. In au automatic feed-water regulator',

adapted to control the main feed-water supply to a steam-boiler, the combination with the valve-casing 6 and valve 7, the base 8, the expansible tube 9 and rods 11 secured thereto at one end, of the lever 16 pivoted to the end piece 12 and to the rods 11, the lever 30 provided with the fork 30', and connections With the main supply-valve 32 adapted to control the main feed-water supply, the lever 26 connected at one end with the rod 24 .and provided near the other end with the cam 28 operated by the pin 29, and the check-valve 19 whereby the pressure within the expansible tube is momentarily released, the inflow of the steam and the Water accelerated and the automatic operation of the feed-Water regulator facilitated, as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

DARWIN ALMY. FRANK DELANO ALMY. Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. MILLER, HENRY J. MILLER. 

